The last glacial cycle: transient simulations with an AOGCM

A number of transient climate runs simulating the last 120kyr have been carried out using FAMOUS, a fast atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (AOGCM). This is the first time such experiments have been done with a full AOGCM, providing a three-dimensional simulation of both atmosphere and ocean over this period. Our simulation thus includes internally generated temporal variability over periods from days to millennia, and physical, detailed representations of important processes such as clouds and precipitation. Although the model is fast, computational restrictions mean that the rate of change of the forcings has been increased by a factor of 10, making each experiment 12kyr long. Atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHGs), northern hemisphere ice sheets and variations in solar radiation arising from changes in the Earth's orbit are treated as forcing factors, and are applied either separately or combined in different experiments. The long-term temperature changes on Antarctica match well with reconstructions derived from ice-core data, as does variability on timescales longer than 10 kyr. Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) cooling on Greenland is reasonably well simulated, although our simulations, which lack ice-sheet meltwater forcing, do not reproduce the abrupt, millennial scale climate shifts seen in northern hemisphere climate proxies or their slower southern hemisphere counterparts. The spatial pattern of sea surface cooling at the LGM matches proxy reconstructions reasonably well. There is significant anti-correlated variability in the strengths of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) on timescales greater than 10kyr in our experiments. We find that GHG forcing weakens the AMOC and strengthens the ACC, whilst the presence of northern hemisphere ice-sheets strengthens the AMOC and weakens the ACC. The structure of the AMOC at the LGM is found to be sensitive to the details of the ice-sheet reconstruction used. The precessional component of the orbital forcing induces ~20kyr oscillations in the AMOC and ACC, whose amplitude is mediated by changes in the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit. These forcing influences combine, to first order, in a linear fashion to produce the mean climate and ocean variability seen in the run with all forcings

Understanding how place matters for kids

Community development

Irreducible compositions and the first return to the origin of a random walk

Let $n = b_1 + ... + b_k = b_1' + \cdot + b_k'$ be a pair of compositions of $n$ into $k$ positive parts. We say this pair is {\em irreducible} if there is no positive $j < k$ for which $b_1 + ... b_j = b_1' + ... b_j'$. The probability that a random pair of compositions of $n$ is irreducible is shown to be asymptotic to $8/n$. This problem leads to a problem in probability theory. Two players move along a game board by rolling a die, and we ask when the two players will first coincide. A natural extension is to show that the probability of a first return to the origin at time $n$ for any mean-zero variance $V$ random walk is asymptotic to $\sqrt{V/(2 \pi)} n^{-3/2}$. We prove this via two methods, one analytic and one probabilistic

A Comparative Study of Customer Perceptions Regarding Green Restaurant Practices: Fast Food vs. Upscale Casual

The current exploratory study was designed to determine the impact that green restaurant practices may have on intention to visit a restaurant and willingness to pay more because of those green practices. The study analyzed a convenience sample of 260 surveys from customers in fast food restaurants and 501 surveys from customers in upscale casual restaurants in the Midwestern United States (U.S.) in order to determine if there were differences in the perception of guests regarding these types of restaurants and their green practices. The findings showed that upscale casual restaurant customers believed they are knowledgeable at a higher level than the fast food restaurant customers about green restaurant practices, have a higher mean rating on the importance of environmental record and recycling in restaurants, and believed that restaurants should use local products when they can. In both groups of customers, there was a positive relationship between green practices utilized at home and customers’ willingness to pay more for green restaurant practices as well as their intention to visit the restaurant using green practices. Management implications are discussed

Sand Impact Tests of a Half-Scale Crew Module Boilerplate Test Article

Although the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) is being designed primarily for water landings, a further investigation of launch abort scenarios reveals the possibility of an onshore landing at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). To gather data for correlation against simulations of beach landing impacts, a series of sand impact tests were conducted at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). Both vertical drop tests and swing tests with combined vertical and horizontal velocity were performed onto beds of common construction-grade sand using a geometrically scaled crew module boilerplate test article. The tests were simulated using the explicit, nonlinear, transient dynamic finite element code LS-DYNA. The material models for the sand utilized in the simulations were based on tests of sand specimens. Although the LSDYNA models provided reasonable predictions for peak accelerations, they were not always able to track the response through the duration of the impact. Further improvements to the material model used for the sand were identified based on results from the sand specimen tests

Issuer Quality and Corporate Bond Returns

We show that the credit quality of corporate debt issuers deteriorates during credit booms, and that this deterioration forecasts low excess returns to corporate bondholders. The key insight is that changes in the pricing of credit risk disproportionately affect the financing costs faced by low quality firms, so the debt issuance of low quality firms is particularly useful for forecasting bond returns. We show that a significant decline in issuer quality is a more reliable signal of credit market overheating than rapid aggregate credit growth. We use these findings to investigate the forces driving time-variation in expected corporate bond returns

Leadership Training In An MBA Program Using Peer-led Team Learning

Leadership training is an important part of any MBA program, but is often difficult to provide in an effective way. Over the last three years, we implemented a program of Peer-Led Team Learning in two core courses of our MBA curriculum, which we believe provides a good solution. The program combines leadership training with practical hands-on application of the ideas taught, and provides for an effective feedback loop. Response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive. The program and benefits for learning leadership are discussed in this paper

Synthesis and characterization of redox active cyrhetrene–triazole click products

We report the synthesis and characterization of two new cyclopentadienyl tricarbonyl rhenium(I) (cyrhetrene) complexes modified with a 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole moiety. The two compounds, (η5-[4-phenyltriazol-1-yl]cyclopentadienyl) tricarbonyl rhenium(I), and (η5-[4-(4-aminophenyl)triazol-1-yl]cyclopentadienyl) tricarbonyl rhenium(I), were structurally characterized using 1H and 13C NMR, ATR-IR spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography where appropriate. The electrochemical behaviour of these two cyrhetrene–triazole complexes was explored using cyclic voltammetry, whereupon we observed that irreversible oxidation of the pendant 4-substituted-triazole moiety occurs before any electron transfer at the metal centre. This redox behaviour is in stark contrast to that of the analogous manganese(I) cymantrene–triazole derivatives, recently reported by our group

The Troubling Logic of Inclusivity in Environmental Consultations

22 pages.Inclusivity is widely considered a requirement of defensible environmental risk consultations and is often either mandated or recommended to help ensure attention to stakeholders’ diverse views. Experience suggests the opposite: the emphasis on an inclusive consultation process often makes it impossible for decision makers to listen carefully to stakeholders and for citizens’ views to influence the design and choice of proposed actions. This paper briefly reviews the promise of environmental risk consultations before outlining several of the more serious problems associated with an emphasis on inclusivity: long lists of undifferentiated concerns, facts tainted by stakeholders’ perspectives and worldviews, little access to clarifying dialogue or tests of expertise, few opportunities to scrutinize knowledge quality, avoidance of controversial issues, and an overwhelming abundance of information. As a result, the promotion of inclusivity often serves as a convenient excuse for decision makers to silence citizens by substituting quantity for quality, breadth for depth, and an adversarial approach for dialogue and informed understanding